I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dawn Fitch the founder and creator of Pooka. I was very nervous to interview her, but as soon as I heard her bubbly voice on the phone I immediately felt like I was talking to an old friend. Check out the interview below, and look out for my review of a few Pooka products coming soon!
 |
| Creator and Founder of Pooka Dawn Fitch |
"What is Pooka, and where did the name come from?"
DF: Pooka is a line of handmade natural bath and body products. Myself, my sister, and two friends started the company 10 years ago. My mom used to call us when we were little, the Pookalitas so I just cut it in half and came up with Pooka.
"What inspired you to start a business with 3 other women?"
DF: We all went to school for different things. I went to school for Graphic Arts, April went to school for communication, Donna went for Business and Tricia majored in Finance. We argue a lot, but we’re sisters and friends. We’re able to argue about the business, and five minutes later we’re like ok what are we going to eat? Our friendship and our family come first; it would never get to that point. You just have to learn how other people work. Just stay in your lane and trust each other. If not, you’ll just go around in circles.
"When you started this bath and body line, what was the biggest fear you had?"
DF: Tricia, Donna, and April were all still working, and I had just recently been laid off. I was at a crossroads, do I go find another job while my resume is still fresh or should I actually stay home and really try this? You always hear about success stories, but in my mind I was like does that happen for everybody? I was thinking who is going to buy this stuff that I’m making in my kitchen? I had a lot of things running through my head but I prayed on it and I said I’m going to give it a try, take a risk, and see what happens.
"As a businesswoman what would you define as successful?"
DF: Right now. Just the fact that we were able to start a business on a shoe string budget, and keep it going for 10 years. Even if Pooka was to close it’s doors right now, which I would hope it wouldn’t, I would consider this to be successful. The thing that I’m most proud of is that it was very grass roots. We prayed a lot, worked really hard, and we eventually got into Whole Foods which was a big accomplishment for us. I definitely want to see where Pooka is going to go, but if it stopped today I would be very proud of what we accomplished.
"What was your major in college and does it have any relevance in your life today?"
DF: Total relevance! I have a B.A. in Graphic Design. I do the Pooka labels, our press, any logo design etc. My design major is definitely paying off. Tricia is our VP of Finance and she was a finance major. Donna’s major was business and communication, and April is also a communication major. So everyone is pretty much doing what they went to school for, so it worked out well.
"If you could do anything else in the world, what would it be?"
DF: It would be something creative, because even when I was little I was making t shirts, and drawing, or sculpting. So it would definitely be something creative.
"What are 3 things that you must have in your purse at all times?"
DF: Floss Sticks, Lip gloss, and a comb or a brush. If I had those three things I think I would be ok!
"If I could only buy one things from your line, what would you recommend I purchase?"
DF: Whipped Cream. You can use it on the kids, men can use it in their hair, and you can use it anywhere. It’s whipped shea with cocoa butter, avocado, coconut, oils, and vitamin E. All my favorite oils are in it. When I put it on I feel really good, and I love the consistency.
"What advice can you give to other young women starting a new journey?"
 |
| Clockwise from Top Left: Donna, April, Tricia, and Dawn. |
To purchase products and see more of Dawn and the other lovely Pookalitas, check out their website at PookaPureandSimple.com
No comments:
Post a Comment